I've been lucky enough to have already made a start. I'm not quite making what i would from my day job but it is getting closer every year.

Keep plugging slugger, you'll get there.

Good for you, that's inspiration for me. I won't give up, trust me. If there's one thing I've learned, it's to keep going until I get what I want out of life. The only way I can fail is if I stop trying.

Okay, I'm pretty sure that little quote is supposed to mean "gather", but I keep getting a picture in my head about a quirky factory.

We are a Warholian story factory in the Six Words Story thread and you too are welcome to join! I'm sure there must be a good fairy around in the comic books somewhere, although possibly rather young for our kind of story. Since Trysail has disappointingly refused, you could be Catwoman instead ...

Officially fucking gutted. The guy who does the shave is off sick. I have been looking forward to this SO much...

To cheer myself up, I've just ordered The Crimson Pirate on DVD. It actually cost less than half what the shave would have and, although I love the film and have been promising it to myself for a while now, it will probably bring me a proportionate amount of pleasure.

Thank you for that story Og! Curiously, there are no staricons here so I give it 5 hearts.

And I'm very impressed that your father could speak American.

He needed to. Many Americans in WW2 didn't understand that British English had different words for things and different expressions.

Many years later when he was a senior Civil Servant he was sent around the World to visit British Embassies and advise on the number of support staff needed. His language skills were useful in Stockholm, Paris, Rome, Moscow and Washington.

But he could get caught out. He came to Hawaii from Hong Kong, went to the beach and fell asleep. He was severely sunburnt but the next day he was in Ottawa - in February. The doctor in Ottawa was startled to be dealing with sunburn when the snow was deep outside.

On another winter trip he was supposed to go from Moscow to Washington. Of course he had his winter weight suits. But his superiors asked that while he was out of the country could he please divert via Singapore and Canberra. On arrival in Singapore he ordered some lightweight tropical suits from the local tailors while he stayed in his air-conditioned hotel. Five hours later he had a tropical suit so that he was comfortable in Singapore's heat. When he flew out to Canberra the next evening he had two more tropical suits, one formal for evening wear, and had sent his winter weight suits by air freight to Washington.

He was comfortable in Canberra and boarded his plane to Washington. But his winter weight suits didn't arrive in time. He did have his normal weight formal evening suit for attending an Embassy reception - that had been sent from London to Washington and had arrived on time. But he couldn't wear that during the working day. He froze in Washington for a day while a secretary tried to find where the winter weight suits had gone. They were recovered by the second day.

He sent his tropical suits back to London while he remained in Washington. My mother was used to packing his clothes and going to the Post Office to Air Mail them around the world. She used to get his dirty washing delivered and sent his clean underwear back. His shirts were usually washed and ironed by Embassy staff.

Several times items of clothing were lost or delayed in transit. The Singapore tailor would happily make my father's shirts to measure from the details held in Singapore and mail them anywhere in the world. The air mail often cost more than the shirt.

When my father stopped globe-trotting he sat down with my mother and reviewed his stock of clothing. He had twice as many shirts as he needed, far too many suits, and dozens of unused underpants bought 'just in case' the washing didn't arrive in the right city at the right time.

I acquired a dozen of his shirts and a couple of suits, one of which I still have. My wife objects whenever I wear it. It was made when my father went 'shooting' on a grouse moor in Scotland. My mother described it as the 'bookmaker' suit because it is a loud brown check. It is very heavyweight and thornproof. Although my father wore it on the grouse moor he didn't shoot anything because he knew his aim wasn't good enough and he didn't want to embarrass his hosts. He watched, sustained by great local Whisky, while other guests made fools of themselves.

To cheer myself up, I've just ordered The Crimson Pirate on DVD. It actually cost less than half what the shave would have and, although I love the film and have been promising it to myself for a while now, it will probably bring me a proportionate amount of pleasure.

www.hive.co.uk - it's a site that allows you to shop online for books, dvds and music while allowing you to support your local independent bookshop. You nominate your favourite participating indie, and a commission on everything you buy subsequently goes to that shop. Free delivery on orders over £15, or if you prefer, you can have your order delivered free to your local indie.

Price-wise, Amazon usually works out cheaper, but if you don't fancy one-clicking your way to a world where there are no high street bookstores any more, it's an ethical alternative to the predatory tax-dodging giant.

We are a Warholian story factory in the Six Words Story thread and you too are welcome to join! I'm sure there must be a good fairy around in the comic books somewhere, although possibly rather young for our kind of story. Since Trysail has disappointingly refused, you could be Catwoman instead ...

I am quite honored by your offer, and would love to be Catwoman, but those dancing bananas really creep me out.

__________________"When did I go from the good little witch to the not good enough for you little witch?""If you could read my mind, love, what a tale my thoughts could tell." "A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes just a few carefully chosen words can inspire thousands of pictures." "My! People come and go so quickly here!"
“Technically, a witch is always a lady, except when circumstances dictate otherwise.”"A from a good witch brings a week of good luck!"

__________________"When did I go from the good little witch to the not good enough for you little witch?""If you could read my mind, love, what a tale my thoughts could tell." "A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes just a few carefully chosen words can inspire thousands of pictures." "My! People come and go so quickly here!"
“Technically, a witch is always a lady, except when circumstances dictate otherwise.”"A from a good witch brings a week of good luck!"

While there are plenty of reasons to dislike winter, one reason I like it is that the tap water is deliciously cold.

All spring, summer and fall, when I want cold water it's necessary to open the refrigerator where I keep gallon jugs cool. These days, all I need do is let the tap run for five seconds and— voila— there it is in copious amounts: delightful, sweet, cool and refreshing.

www.hive.co.uk - it's a site that allows you to shop online for books, dvds and music while allowing you to support your local independent bookshop. You nominate your favourite participating indie, and a commission on everything you buy subsequently goes to that shop. Free delivery on orders over £15, or if you prefer, you can have your order delivered free to your local indie.

Price-wise, Amazon usually works out cheaper, but if you don't fancy one-clicking your way to a world where there are no high street bookstores any more, it's an ethical alternative to the predatory tax-dodging giant.

Officially fucking gutted. The guy who does the shave is off sick. I have been looking forward to this SO much...

I can't believe it. The disgust selfishness of the man. Does he think he lives for his own pleasure?

Still, good that you got The Crimson Pirate. And great link, I will start using it and telling all my friends to do so too. Except when they buy my books, of course. When I will tell them to go to Smash where they are free LOL!

Well, if the Crimson Pirate starts appearing on the six word story thread, there will be some fireworks when he bumps into Betty the scarlet woman!

I think we might need our own thread! I feel a bit bad for all the six worders who get confusingly tangled in the narrative, attempting to tell everyone else they've at last fallen in love. (Hope it lasts, hur hur hur.)